History of American Literature: From Civil War Turmoil to Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism

In this entry from the four-volume History of American Literature series, viewers learn about how the American literary character grew and developed in the period before, during, and after the Civil War. While transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau explored the theme of God in nature and took up the torch against slavery, Edgar Allan Poe laid the foundations for the mystery and horror genres, and Mark Twain became a textbook example of the flowering of regional literary styles. While generally informative in its attempt to summarize a burdensome topic in a half-hour-shy format, no single writer or literary development are given more than a passing nod. Given that American literature is full of adventure, drama, conflict, startling beauty, and bloodcurdling chills, it's especially unfortunate that none of these attributes are really conveyed in this arid survey. A teacher's guide, worksheets, learning objectives, and list of further resources are available at the company's website (www.clearvue.com); however, visitors are required to fill out a profile before accessing any of the material. The other titles in the series (series price: $340) are: The Birth of a National Literature, America's Wartime Literature and Postwar Reflections, and Contemporary Literature. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: J, H. (J. Asala)